Before what could generously be described as nice weather for ducks, a fast bowler who started out with Vauxhall Mallards of the East Anglian Premier League showed why he could fit the bill for England come next summer’s World Cup.
Olly Stone is only six overs into his international career after Saturday’s rain-affected win over Sri Lanka in the Dambulla jungle, with his figures of one for 23 some two wickets fewer than the attack leader, his county colleague Chris Woakes.
But when a fast bowler bursts on to the world stage and has batsmen visibly unsettled – see Niroshan Dickwella gloving behind, thinking only of personal safety, or Kusal Perera wearing a 90mph brute on the shoulder first ball – excitement tends to break out.
Eoin Morgan, the England captain, responded by saying that this single performance from Stone has put him in the World Cup mix, while in the Sky Sports studio James Foster, the former Essex and England wicketkeeper, called for a central contract to be awarded as a way of protecting such a rare commodity from possible overuse.
Though a mild and unassuming 25-year-old from Norfolk, one who still turns out for the Norwich-based Mallards as a batsman, Stone was delighted to rattle Sri Lanka. And while he is still learning how to manage his body, having battled back from a serious knee injury in 2016, he fancies there may yet be a few more ticks on the speedgun to come.
“It is always a nice feeling to see them ducking and diving,” said Stone, who has also been included for the Test series against Sri Lanka. “I am trying to figure out when to go all guns blazing and when to hold back a little bit. I guess there is a little bit more to come. I just run in and see what happens. If more comes then great.”
Was Warwickshire’s battering ram during the summer’s Division Two title win nervous before this de facto debut, having seen the first match washed out? “A little bit. The noise was a bit surreal. I was just trying to take it all in with a deep breath and then away I went.
“It’s been crazy. When I got injured [a torn ACL and knee cartilage in 2016], if someone had said that two years later you’d be playing for England, I would have snapped their hand off. It is a dream come true. It’s been a whirlwind few months and I’m just loving it.”
Like their Sri Lanka counterparts, England’s batsmen have not exactly been queueing up to face Stone in the nets on tour either, even if he tries to “look after the boys”. As for the bowlers in the squad, this impressive first outing means an already competitive stable is becoming even more cramped as regards the World Cup plans.
England will submit their 15-man squad on 23 April next year – changes can then be made freely for a month, before an ICC injury-replacement panel must be satisfied – and if the batting looks settled at present, with Alex Hales currently the overqualified spare man, then the bowlers will continue to jostle for places this winter.
Woakes is surely inked in, as are Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. Liam Plunkett, due to arrive here on Wednesday after his wedding coincided with the second one-day international, is another favourite of Morgan after three years of mid-innings breakthroughs, and so realistically that leaves four places available for what are at least six possible candidates.
Of this half dozen, Stone and Liam Dawson are in the team at present. The latter is the requisite third spinner in these conditions, but also pressing to remain first reserve to Moeen and Rashid at home. Given England will want two in the team, the left-armer has a chance.
Looking on from the sidelines in Sri Lanka are Mark Wood, Tom Curran and his younger brother Sam. And there is also the left-armer David Willey, whose summer brought 12 wickets in seven outings against Australia and India only for a back injury to allow Sam Curran in.
With just eight matches before that initial World Cup squad is named, starting with Wednesday’s third one-dayer in Kandy, can Stone make the cut? “I’d love to,” he added. “There is an opportunity to try to put your foot in the door and hopefully I can show what I can do.”
